125cc MotoGP Champ Marquez to Moto2

After taking the 2010 125cc MotoGP Championship, Repsol rider Marc Marquez is ready for a new challenge: Moto2.

The Spaniard has signed a two-year contract with Repsol, which guarantees Marquez “will have all the technical and personnel resources necessary to do battle in such a competitive category as Moto2 within the framework of a solid and stable project.”

Since Marquez has entered the World Championship in 2008 at 15 -years old, Repsol has been there supporting him. Repsol, an energy company in Spain, exclusively exclusively developed and supplied the fuel and lubricant for the 125cc World Champion from the Repsol Technology Centre located in Móstoles (Madrid).

Repsol says Marquez, 17, of Ververa, Lleida, will compete in Moto2 as the only rider in a Monlau Competition team, with a Suter chassis and a 600cc engine, that supplied by Honda to all the motorcycles in the category.

The Repsol Moto2 team will be managed by Emilio Alzamora, the 1999 125cc World Champion (with Repsol). The chief mechanic will be Santi Hernández, who has experience in Moto2 and also the old premier class (500cc) and in MotoGP where he worked with riders such as Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau.

In the second year of Moto2 racing, Marquez will have much experience on his side, including mechanics, engineers and telemetry engineers with “a wealth of experience in the Motorcycle World Championships.” Marquez will benefit from the twelve years of experience of Monlau Competition plus Repsol’s more than 40 years in the world of racing.

Marquez Repsol Moto2 Testing

Marquez will have his first Repsol Moto2 motorcycle test on Wednesday at the Jerez Circuit, which will allow the team to begin preparations for the 2011 Moto2 season, which begins March 20 at Qatar and concludes on Nov. 6 at Valencia.

Repsol says the contract was signed by the Repsol Corporate Director of Communications and Presidential Cabinet, Begoña Elices and Emilio Alzamora, Marc Márquez’s manager and Director of Monlau Competition, a centee for the development of riders and mechanics.

Repsol says: “The philosophy of the agreement is based on supporting grass-roots sports as Repsol are backing Álex Rins and Álex Márquez. Both riders, aged 14, will again ride in the 2011 Spanish Speed Championships (SSC).”

Marc Marquez Moto2 Quick Facts

• The Moto2 agreement, for two years, guarantees the 125cc World Champion a strong and stable project.

• The 125cc World Champion will compete in a Monlau Competition team with a Suter chassis and will ride a Moto2 motorbike for the first time tomorrow, Wednesday, in the test sessions scheduled at the Jerez Circuit.

• The agreement signed between Repsol and Monlau Competition runs for two years and gives Marc Marquez access to the best technical and personnel resources in Moto2.

• Repsol, which has helped Marc Marquez in his sporting development, has been at the young rider’s side since his debut in the Motorcycle World Championships in 2008.

About Marc Marquez

At 17-years old, Marquez became the youngest Spanish rider to win a Motorcycle World Championship on Nov. 7, 2010.

The Emilio Alzamora protégé has beaten many other records: last season he won four pole positions and took five race wins consecutively at only 17-years old, beating the records held by Valentino Rossi since 1997, and won 12 pole positions in one season, equaling the historic milestone of Mick Doohan, amongst other achievements.

About Repsol

Repsol, with more than 40 years in the world of competition – an unbeatable test bench for its products – has gained a great amount of experience in the development and manufacture of fuel and lubricants for the main motorsport competitions.

The company has maintained a collaborative agreement with Honda since 1995 and is the main sponsor of the MotoGP Repsol Honda Team. It also has a presence in other competitions, such as that of the Trial World Championships.